


Shane In Three

by sasha_b



Category: Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-02-11
Updated: 2012-02-11
Packaged: 2017-10-30 22:30:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/336884
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sasha_b/pseuds/sasha_b
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Three bits about Shane.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Shane In Three

**Author's Note:**

> Spoilers up through Season Two Episode Seven, Pretty Much Dead Already.

**One**.

The three of them look at one another, silent, no words passing, the creaking of the trees and the shuffling of horses omnipresent and too loud to Shane's ears.

"It's mine, and you know it."

Rick stares at him and he almost falters. Almost. The other man's eyes, so blue and so fucking hurt. But Shane's burned up inside, too, and he scrubs a hand over his head, sentimental motion even as Lori shakes her head as he keeps talking. Wind rustles the trees and he can hear Carl shouting something and laughing. He steps forward and puts his hand on Lori's (for now) tiny belly.

He reaches out for Rick, not knowing if the other man will agree to his boldness and shit, man, Shane laughs because he doesn't deserve anything that Rick would give him. Nothing. Maybe hatred, because he _left him there, left him there to die._

He barks a loud noise, a sob that brings a burning ache to his chest. "It's mine," he says again. "Mine." Lori shakes her head and Rick steps to her, his arm going around her shoulders, his face blunt and broken and Shane looks up, finally, shorn head cold and strange feeling. He fucking misses his hair.

"Shane," Rick says, the same burn seemingly in his voice. "Even if it is, it isn't."

Shane's eyes close and he lowers both the hand that was reaching for Rick and the one on Lori's belly.

 

**Two**.

_Shane, enough!_

_You're right, man. It's definitely enough._

Rick's gun belches smoke and gunpowder resin and the girl drops, silenced. Shane sways, head dropping, unable, unwanted, hand holding his weapon lowering, fingers trembling, but he doesn't drop it. He can't look at anything but the ground, the brown grass oddly dry and crispy under his boots.

He hears Rick suck in a breath, can hear Carol's heartbreaking sobs, can hear Carl crying and Lori's shocked sounds, but he can't hear anything inside or make a noise himself. He let the girl walk out of that barn and he let Rick shoot her, let his partner do the right thing, the manly thing, the thing Shane's incapable of doing -

He bends over and retches, hands shaking as they grip his knees.

After what seems an interminable amount of time, he feels someone's hand on his shoulder and he raises watering eyes, the sun blinding him, his tears blinding him, his fingers unable to work - Rick's leaning over him, and the anger and utter - Shane looks up at the brightness and wishes he could stare at the sun for however long it takes to burn him up forever.

 

**Three**.

"You're meant for this world."

_Fair enough._

Rick's back is to him; the other man is alone and Shane hesitates only briefly before joining him, plopping down on the splintering bench, arms folded on the table top. Rick's hat is shoved back on his head and he's white, so white that it scares Shane. Lotsa blood given, he's heard, but Carl's on the mend. That's the only thing that matters.

What Shane did to make that happen...he's not sorry. _That's the only thing that matters._ He shivers once, uncontrolled, and swallows over the bile that rises.

"You're meant for this world."

"Huh?"

He looks up and Rick's staring at him, blue eyes bloodshot and shocking in his pale face. "I don't know if I can do this, Shane."

Shane knows the other man doesn't mean sit here at this damn bench. He reaches out a hand and touches Rick's arm. The sun dapples them and the birds sing and Shane wonders where in the fuck they actually _are_ \- was Atlanta even real?

"Brother, you can."

Rick bites his lip and his eyes fill and Shane shakes his head and says "No," four times in succession and Rick stops trying to cry and looks at the sky instead but Shane keeps his hand on the other man's arm and Rick doesn't shake it off.


End file.
